The bus wheezed to a stop in front of Crestwood University's ornate iron gates.
Elena Carter pressed her palm against the cool glass, staring at the campus she had dreamed of for years. Red brick buildings glowed in the early sunlight, ivy clinging to their sides like they'd been there forever. Students laughed, dragged suitcases, hugged friends. Everything looked perfect.
She stepped off the bus, inhaling the crisp autumn air. New city. New start. No mistakes this time.
Her phone buzzed with a text from her mom ;a rare occurrence.
"Make us proud, Lena. Don't waste the scholarship."
No heart emoji. No warmth. Just that.
She sighed, stuffed the phone into her pocket, and lifted her suitcase. The wheel immediately jammed on a crack in the pavement. "Seriously?" she muttered.
"Need a hand?"
The voice came from behind her light, teasing.
She turned to see a girl with curly brown hair, dimples, and a welcoming grin.
"I'm Maya," the girl said, offering her hand like they'd met before. "You look like you're either lost or about to have a breakdown."
Elena smiled despite herself. "Maybe both."
"Room number?"
"214, West Hall."
"Perfect! That's my room too. Guess we're roommates. Come on, before someone claims the window bed."
Maya grabbed the suitcase handle, ignoring Elena's protests.
As they started toward the dorms, Elena's eyes caught movement near the parking lot , a sleek black car, shiny enough to reflect the entire building.
Four students stood around it. They looked… different. The kind of confidence that wasn't taught , it was inherited. Designer clothes. Perfect hair. Easy laughter that drew attention without even trying.
One of them, a tall blond guy in black, leaned lazily against the hood. He wasn't laughing. His gaze swept over the crowd like he owned it , then paused.
Right on her.
His eyes cold, blue, and sharp , met hers for less than a second, but it felt like the world stilled.
Then he smirked, just slightly, before looking away.
"Don't stare," Maya whispered quickly. "That's Adrian Cole."
Elena blinked. "Who?"
"The Adrian Cole. Top of the Monarchs. The elite group around here. They're basically royalty."
Elena frowned. "Royalty? At a university?"
"Yeah. Rich, powerful, and terrifying. Everyone wants to be them or invisible to them."
As if on cue, a platinum-haired girl in a designer skirt sauntered toward them, a paper cup in hand. Her red lips curled into a smile that wasn't kind.
"Well, if it isn't the new scholarship girl," she said sweetly, stopping right in front of Elena. "You're blocking the path."
"Oh sorry, I didn't... Before Elena could finish, the girl "tripped" just enough to spill her entire coffee across Elena's shirt.
The crowd gasped. A few people laughed.
Elena froze, heat spreading across her chest from the coffee and the humiliation.
The blonde girl tilted her head. "Oops. You should really watch where you're going, sweetheart."
Maya stepped forward, glaring. "Apologize."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Maya snapped. "You did that on purpose."
The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Do you know who I am?"
"Do you think anyone cares?" Maya shot back.
The girl let out a cruel laugh. "You'll learn your place soon enough."
"Elena, let's go," Maya whispered.
They turned but then that same low voice from earlier cut through the tension like a blade.
"Sierra."
Everyone froze.
The blonde Sierra turned, her smug expression faltering.
Adrian Cole had stepped closer, his piercing gaze fixed on her. "You're bored again, I see."
Sierra gave a nervous laugh. "I was just"
"Don't." His tone softened, but the authority in it was unmistakable.
He turned to Elena. For the first time, she saw him clearly tall, lean, effortlessly composed. His presence made her pulse quicken in ways she didn't understand.
Their eyes met again. Something unreadable flickered there , curiosity, maybe pity, maybe something darker.
Then he looked away. "Clean that up," he told Sierra quietly. "Now."
Sierra's jaw tightened, but she obeyed, dabbing at Elena's shirt with a napkin. Her fake smile was gone.
When Adrian finally walked away, the crowd's whispers started again.
Maya grabbed Elena's arm. "Come on. Don't give them more to laugh at."
Elena followed silently, her heart still racing. She didn't even notice that Adrian had stopped once more, glancing back at her a ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips.
Later that night, Elena unpacked in silence. The dorm smelled faintly of coffee and lavender from Maya's candles.
"You okay?" Maya asked softly.
"I've had worse," Elena said, forcing a smile. "High school wasn't exactly paradise either."
"Well, this isn't high school," Maya muttered darkly. "It's worse."
Elena looked out the window. Down below, near the parking lot, that same black car gleamed under the streetlights. Adrian leaned against it, cigarette between his fingers, eyes on the dorm building.
When he saw her looking, he didn't turn away this time.
He smiled.
Not sweetly. Not kindly.
Just the kind of smile that promised trouble , the beautiful kind that ruins everything